Unexpected Love
by Baby Ree
Summary: Harry finds unexpected true love, but will she run and hide or face her true feelings?


1 Unexpected Love  
  
Harry walked down the halls of Hogwarts for his 5th year. He was happy. Happy to be away from the Dursleys. Happy to be back where he belonged with his friends, Ron and Hermione. He looked down at his watch.he only had 2 minutes to get to Snape's Potions class. Ron and Hermione went on ahead of him. If he didn't know better, he would have thought that something was going on between the two of them, but neither told him anything. Well, they would tell him when they were ready, he thought.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of Cho Chang, the girl he had had a crush on since his 3rd year at Hogwarts. It was love at first sight for Harry. He didn't even notice girls before he met her. He thought that she was the prettiest girl in school.  
  
Cho was walking with one of her Ravenclaw friends. Her friend seemed to chatter on and on. Cho just listened to her friend not participating much. In fact her eyes seemed to be glazed over. As they both got closer to Harry, Harry could feel the familiar knotting in his stomach. He braved a shy subtle smile for Cho's benefit.  
  
"Hi, Harry!" said Cho's friend.  
  
Harry smiled back at the both of them, Cho's friend waved back enthusiastically, but Cho just looked up. No smile.  
  
Harry couldn't believe it. He felt horrible. She didn't even smile at him. His happy feeling dissolved immediately and he moped to Snape's class.  
  
During class, he kept on asking himself "why didn't she smile back?" Then it hit him.she must blame me for what happened to Cedric. He sunk lower into his chair as he realized that this must be the reason for her behavior. He would never be able to face her ever again. Any small hopes he held for the possibility of them forming a relationship evaporated into thin air.  
  
The rest of the school year, Harry avoided Cho at all costs. If he saw her coming towards him in the hallway, he would avert his eyes and keep on walking. He couldn't bear facing her anymore. Even during their quidditch match, he wouldn't look at her. He forced himself to concentrate on the task at hand even though she was often by his side in the air looking for the snitch as she too was a seeker for her Ravenclaw house.  
  
*******  
  
Cho felt horrible about Harry. She knew that he was trying to avoid her.it was very obvious. One time she had bumped him by mistake and she was about to offer an apology, but he just kept on walking.didn't look at her, actually had quickened his pace. She was at a loss as to why he was behaving so strangely until she had overheard one day when she was passing some Gryffindors in the hall that Harry thought that she had blamed Harry for Cedric's death. She was horrified. She didn't know why Harry would think such a thing. Nothing could have been further from the truth. She only blamed one person.He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named! She had to find Harry and tell him that he was wrong and straighten out the entire mess. She couldn't believe that a whole term had gone by and Harry thought that she hated him the entire time.  
  
This also explained his cold behavior during the quidditch match. She smiled at him but he never even looked at her once to see her. Of course he had gotten to the snitch before she had.he was the best seeker at the school. But that wasn't what really made her sad. It was Harry's refusal to be civil that made her angry.  
  
The truth was that she had hoped that they would become better friends this year. She thought that they could both help each other move pass the tragedy and look forward to the future. Truth also be known that although she did want to be better friends with Harry, that was all she wanted. She knew that he had had a crush on her.at least before she had dated Cedric anyway. She wasn't sure what his feelings toward her were now though. But this didn't really matter she thought to herself because she had told herself that she wasn't ready to start another relationship with anyone else for a while. Partly out of respect for Cedric and partly because she didn't want to get hurt again. The loss of Cedric was crushing. She had grieved the entire summer. She was actually relieved when September had rolled around again and that she would be in classes, with her friends, and on the quidditch field just so that she could think about other things and not about Cedric. She knew that she had to get on with her life. That's what she would have wanted for Cedric if she were the one that died.  
  
*********  
  
Resolved to patch things up with Harry, she waited for him outside of the Great Hall after dinner one evening. Sure enough, Harry came out accompanied by his closest friends, Hermione and Ron. Hermione and Ron were walking in front of Harry and in a rather rapt whisper. She smiled at them thinking about how cute they looked together. She went up to Harry.  
  
"Harry!" she reached her hand out and placed it gently on his arm.  
  
She had definitely taken him by surprise she could tell. He had difficulty with his words, "Uh..er.hi."  
  
"Harry.do you think you could spare a moment? I wa.need to talk to you about something," she said in earnest but with a lot of warmth. She smiled at him.  
  
Harry's stomach started to turn knots again. Why does she want to talk to me? Probably to get it out of her system and yell at me he thought. Well, he couldn't bear it.not right now anyway.so he lied.  
  
"Uh..actually, I have to go study right now." He looked to his friends for help. They had noticed how Cho had just come up to their friend and practically assaulted him in front of everybody. Hermione spoke up.  
  
"That's right.we have a lot of studying to do," she then proceeded to put her own hand on Harry's other arm to let him know that they would be there for him.  
  
Cho saw this and felt so stupid for being so forward with Harry. She didn't realize that her touch was making him uncomfortable. She let go of his arm in a hurry.  
  
"Oh..sorry, I didn't mean to."  
  
"That's alright, but I have to get going now."  
  
Next thing Cho knew, Harry had moved forward and the three of them walked away toward the Gryffindor Towers. She just stood there. She was hurt. She couldn't believe that it was this bad. So bad that he couldn't stand being close to her for more than 10 seconds. He was in such a hurry to get away.  
  
"Well, I can't stop trying. I can't let him continue to think that I hate him. Maybe next time will go a bit smoother." Cho turned away in the opposite direction and walked toward the Ravenclaw Towers.  
  
**************  
  
"Wow that was a close one, Harry!" exclaimed Ron as soon as they were out of earshot referring to the incident with Cho.  
  
"I know, but I feel really bad for refusing her. She seemed so sincere and warm."  
  
"But she was going to lay into you!"  
  
"Maybe.I don't know."  
  
"Well I'm just glad that Ron and I were there to save you," said Hermione.  
  
Harry looked up at his friends and smiled at them. He knew that they meant well.  
  
"Thanks, guys. I think I'm gonna go up to the dorm now and study on my own. See you later."  
  
Ron and Hermione said their goodbyes but didn't make him stay with them. They probably want to be alone, he thought.  
  
He drudged back up to his room and pulled out his History of Magic book. He didn't get much reading done though. His thoughts kept taking him back to Cho. That was the first time this year that she had said anything to him. And she didn't say it in a nasty or hostile way either. She was really warm in fact. He really did think that she was being sincere. But what did she want to talk to him about? Nothing came to mind except for Cho yelling at him about Cedric. These same thoughts turned over in his head until he got so tired that he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer.  
  
**********  
  
A few weeks had passed and Harry felt much better about things. Classes, except Potions, seemed to be going well. His friends Ron and Hermione were obviously growing closer and often left to go do things on their own which left Harry by himself a lot of the times. He didn't mind though. He wanted to give them privacy for whatever they needed it for. And he never questioned their strange behavior. He believed that they were grateful that he chose not to question them about their obvious interest in one another. He would just be the loving uncle to their children he thought to himself with amusement. All of a sudden he noticed that someone was saying something to him. Hermione was asking Harry something and it took him a while to even realize that she was asking him something.  
  
"Oh what did you say Hermione?" asked a bewildered Harry.  
  
"I was just wondering if you could go to the library and return this book and see if the librarian has the other book ready for me? Please? I have to teach Ron here something about Herbology. He can't to seem to get it through his thick head that certain plants require special handling during different stages during their lifespan." Hermione explained rather exasperatedly.  
  
Ron just gave Harry a huge grin. Harry knew that this meant that they wanted to be alone for a little bit. Hermione couldn't seem to admit it directly so she always made Harry go away so that she could help explain some hard lesson to Ron. As Harry didn't mind giving them some privacy he always did what she asked and never asked why.  
  
"Sure," Harry said simply. He picked up the heavy book and proceeded to the library. He made sure to go at a slow pace to give his friends ample time alone. "I'm turning into such a 3rd wheel," Harry muttered to himself.  
  
He got to the library and opened the heavy doors. It was unusually quiet, even for a library. He went up to the desk to see if the librarian was around. She wasn't. So Harry stood there and waited for her to come back. Harry then looked around the library as he had nothing better to do. Then he saw her. Stuck behind a huge book, he saw her shiny black hair pulled into a ponytail. She seemed to be concentrating very hard. He tried to lay the heavy book down as quietly as possible and get out of the library as soon as possible to avoid another encounter with Cho. His hand slipped however, and the heavy book dropped with a huge thud on the counter. Harry cursed at himself for being so clumsy.  
  
He turned around hoping that Cho hadn't been disturbed. He was wrong. As he turned around, he saw her beautiful face looking at his. She was smiling and his stomach began to churn at a rapid rate. He smiled back and nodded. He then turned in the direction of the door to make a speedy exit. But Cho had already said his name.  
  
"Harry!!" she yelled across the library. It was a good thing that the library was so vacant or she would have gotten dirty looks for sure.  
  
Harry turned around and saw that she was already half way across the room coming straight to him. He stood there frozen to the spot. He couldn't move although he wanted to run out of the room.  
  
He forced a smile and choked out, "Hi."  
  
She finally got up to him and now they were face to face. She's so beautiful Harry thought. Her big brown eyes were so soft and she had a great smile.  
  
"I'm glad I caught you before you ran away again," she said jokingly.  
  
"Run away? What do you mean?" said Harry trying to feign ignorance.  
  
"You have been avoiding me the entire term, Harry Potter," she said as her eyes twinkled.  
  
"Have I? I'm sorry.I didn't mean to," Harry lied.  
  
Cho just smiled back. She didn't want to give him any reason to run away and avoid her again.  
  
"Harry, I.I've been wanting to talk to you for a while now. Do you mind if we go outside for a little bit?"  
  
Harry looked at her and then glanced outside of the library. "Sure, if you want to."  
  
"I want to." Cho then took Harry's hand in hers and pulled him towards the exit of the library. "Come on. I won't hurt you."  
  
Harry tried to laugh it off but failed miserably.  
  
They reached one of the benches just outside of the library and Cho dropped Harry's hand and proceeded to take a seat. Harry slowly took a seat beside her.  
  
There was a moment of awkward silence and then Cho sighed deeply and began her thoughts, "Look Harry.I know that you've been avoiding me." He opened his mouth to defend himself but she didn't let him. "Please just listen to me. I've thought about this conversation a million times and what I would say to you if I ever got a chance to talk to you." He obeyed and closed his mouth. She smiled and proceeded again, "As I said.I know that you've been avoiding me." Harry looked down at his feet. He couldn't look into her eyes. "Please don't try to tell me that you haven't. I just want to let you know that I may know the reason why and I want to set the record straight.that's all. At first, I couldn't understand why. I mean I thought that we were friends. Not good friends, but friends, nonetheless. I was actually pretty upset for a while that you were running away from me every time I came within ten feet of you. But then, I figured it out." Harry looked up at her with a look of concern but then immediately downcast his eyes again. Cho saw this and continued with her thoughts, "You must think that I hate you. I honestly don't know where you could have gotten that notion, though. I've never said anything like that to anybody. And you must think that I hate you because you think that I blame you for Cedric's death."  
  
Harry looked up at the mention of his name. He could see tears in her eyes. She was obviously still hurting. He didn't say anything though. He waited for her to go on. He turned his gaze once more upon his shoes to let her gather herself.  
  
"Harry, please look at me," Cho pleaded and pulled his chin so that he was looking at her. "Harry, I have never and will never blame you for his death. I want you to know that I mean what I say. I only blame one person, Harry. And that person is not you. I don't want you to feel guilty either. Cedric was a good friend. To the both of us. He spoke fondly of you. He really admired you. Not because you're famous, but because you're decent, kind and brave."  
  
Cho had to stop for a bit as the tears were coming down faster. She tried to rub them away but no matter how many times she blotted her eyes, the tears came down.  
  
"Sorry.I don't mean to get so upset, it's just that."  
  
Harry felt so sorry for this girl. She still cared for Cedric and it hurt her so much to even talk about him. She had braved it just to put his mind at ease. Harry found himself putting a hand on her shoulder. He smiled at her.  
  
"Don't be sorry. This must really be hard for you. I understand." Harry said sincerely.  
  
Cho smiled through her tears and they seemed to cease for the time being.  
  
"Thanks. I do miss him. I miss him so much. But I think that I am getting better. You should have seen me this summer. I was a wreck," she tried to laugh bravely.  
  
Harry smiled back. She was trying to be so brave. "I'm glad that you're getting better. I was worried about you, you know."  
  
"You were, why?"  
  
"I just wanted to make sure that you were OK. When I saw you back here in September, I was glad to see that you were."  
  
"I am. Thanks."  
  
Another moment of awkward silence came upon them.  
  
"So, I just wanted to let you know that I don't hate you and that I don't blame you. You can stop avoiding me now." She smiled at him.  
  
"Cho.I don't know what to say. I did think that you hated me for Cedric's death."  
  
"That's what I don't understand.what ever gave you the idea that I.," before she could finish Harry interrupted her.  
  
"It was the first day back at Hogwarts. I saw you in the hall and you were coming my way. I smiled, but you just looked at me. I was confused why you hadn't said anything or smiled back. Then I figured that you blamed me and wanted nothing to do with me. So I did all I could to avoid you. I didn't want to be a reminder of such pain."  
  
"Harry. I am so sorry that I acted so rudely that day. I have to admit that I was still grieving when I first came back. I was probably in my own little world. I'm so sorry. Could you ever forgive me?"  
  
Harry smiled. He couldn't believe it. She didn't want to yell at him. She wanted to make amends! "Cho, there is nothing to forgive. You didn't do anything wrong. Can you forgive me for being such an ass?"  
  
"Nothing to forgive Harry."  
  
They both began to laugh.  
  
"Well, it's kind of getting late. I need to get some sleep. Big day tomorrow. Potions exam. Yuck!" Cho said as she was looking at her watch. "Friends?" Cho offered her hand to Harry.  
  
"Friends." Harry took Cho's hand and shook it.  
  
"Well see you around then." Cho said before she turned to leave.  
  
Harry had a sudden urge to say something else though, "Uh.Cho."  
  
"Yes?" said Cho as she turned around.  
  
"You.You wouldn't want to get together some time just to hang out do you?" Harry asked with some trouble.  
  
"That would be lovely Harry. I would love to. Just let me know when and I'm yours." Cho responded with a smile.  
  
Harry could feel his face blush. "Great. I'll see you later then?"  
  
"Definitely."  
  
Cho turned around and walked away from Harry. Harry was grinning from ear to ear. He couldn't believe his luck. The girl of his dreams had just agreed to get together with him. He couldn't wait to get back to the Gryffindor Common Room and tell Hermione and Ron what had just transpired. He made a mad dash back to the Gryffindor Towers.  
  
  
  
***********  
  
Harry had been waiting out on the quidditch field for 5 minutes now. He kept nervously glancing at his watch. He was meeting Cho Chang. He was nervous about meeting up with her, but she sounded genuinely excited about coming to meet him. He had thought that they could go flying around or something.even practice together as they were both seekers for their respective houses' quidditch teams.  
  
Harry's mind went back to just a few days before. A time when he would never have dreamed that being friends with Cho was even a possibility. He had thought that she despised him and therefore avoided her as much as he possibly could. One night though when he was returning a book at the library, he saw her and she him. She had cornered him before he could make a run for it. He was glad that she had succeeded because what had ensued was more than Harry could have ever dreamed of. She wanted to let him know that she didn't blame him or even hate him. In fact, she wanted to be his friend!  
  
Harry also remembered Hermione and Ron's reaction when he had told them of his exciting wonderful news. They were less than thrilled, but they were glad that they didn't have to hide from Cho anymore.  
  
After that, Harry couldn't wait to see Cho again. She had said that it would be 'lovely' to see him again. He just needed to figure out how to do it and what they would do as to not make a fool of himself. Then it hit him. They did have something in common. They were both seekers and they both knew how to fly on broomsticks quite well. Harry glanced down at his Firebolt and grinned. Soon.he thought to himself.soon, you and I -will be up in the air up there with Cho. Just then he heard someone approaching him. He looked up. It was Cho. She looked as pretty as ever. She was carrying her broomstick with her and she smiled a huge smile when she saw him. Harry's stomach was about to collapse. He smiled back.  
  
"Hi!" exclaimed Harry.  
  
"Hi, Harry," said Cho with a grin.  
  
"Thanks for coming and meeting me."  
  
"Of course Harry. I told you I would. Besides, I think this will be fun. I haven't flown around just for fun in a long time. I only fly for quidditch practices and the actual games it seems like. It will be refreshing to just glide up there with no particular agenda," she confided in Harry.  
  
"Great. I thought that you might think that this was a stupid idea. Since you have to do it all the time."  
  
She just smiled at him and said, "Ready?"  
  
Before he could even respond, Cho had mounted her broomstick and kicked off the ground and flew straight up effortlessly. Harry looked up and could see that she was flying higher and higher. She glanced back down and yelled, "Well, are you coming or not?"  
  
Harry didn't need to be beckoned twice. He quickly put his leg over the broomstick and soared up into the air. The day's weather was immaculate. The skies were clear.not a cloud in sight. Harry could see Cho just ahead of him looping and swaying around playfully. She was laughing.it felt wonderful to hear her laugh. When he had finally caught up to her, she glanced over her shoulder and giggled. Harry couldn't help but grin from ear to ear.  
  
"Thought you were avoiding me again," she said jokingly.  
  
"Never," he smiled back.  
  
"This is wonderful! I love being up here! Everything seems to be easier up here. No problems. Just me and you, our brooms, and endless sky!"  
  
She then proceeded to do loops and zig zags in front of Harry. Harry soon followed suit and went after her. They were having the best time. Harry was so happy. He never wanted this moment to end. But he knew that they had to return to reality at some point sooner or later.  
  
"I'm getting tired Harry.do you mind if we stop?" asked Cho as she whizzed by him playfully.  
  
"No. We can stop if you like."  
  
Cho nodded and glided slowly towards the ground. Once Harry had reached the ground, he found a giggling Cho. Harry all of a sudden felt self- conscience.  
  
"What are you laughing for?"  
  
"Oh, Harry.I was just thinking about my first time flying. Believe me.I was no natural.not like you. I had to practice at my flying. The first time I didn't know how to descend gracefully at all. I just came hurtling down hoping that something would break my fall somehow. I wasn't laughing then but now when I look back upon those times." and she just fell over with laughter. Harry laughed with her. She was so cute when she was like this he thought.  
  
After the laughing fit had subsided a bit. Harry searched his brain as to what they could do next. Nothing came to him so he asked, "So what do you feel like doing now?"  
  
"Oh, I just thought that we could just sit and talk. You know, get to know one another better. Come on.let's go find a nice obliging tree with lots of shade." She then held out her hand for Harry to grab. He did and she pulled him along until she found the perfect tree for their 'talk.'  
  
"Thanks for asking me to come out today, Harry. I really needed it."  
  
"You're welcome," Harry said uneasily. He still wasn't sure how to act around Cho.  
  
"I wasn't sure that you had believed me that day when I told you that I wanted to be your friend. So I was really glad when I heard from you."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Uh-huh. Don't sound too shocked."  
  
"I just thought that you always had people around you and that you wouldn't really need another friend."  
  
"You mean all those people that sit around me at Ravenclaw? True, they're my friends Harry. But they're not true, stand-by-you-no-matter-what friends. I'm envious of you actually."  
  
"What for?"  
  
"Not because you're famous or anything like that. But I am jealous that you have such true good friends."  
  
"You mean Hermione and Ron?"  
  
"Who else?"  
  
They both laughed.  
  
"I suppose I am really lucky when you put it that way. But you know what?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"If you want, you can find that kind of true friend in me," losing his nerve to speak and almost whispered his last words.  
  
There was an awkward silence for a moment and Harry thought that she was going to get up and walk away for him being so stupid, but then he saw her smile and said, "I want," and she placed a light kiss on Harry's cheek which had begun to blush a deep shade of red. "Thanks, Harry. That means a lot to me. In fact, I think we'll be great friends."  
  
Harry was speechless. He was so shocked that she had kissed him that he couldn't form a coherent thought in his brain. All he did was smile. After a moment, he felt much more at ease and they shared a very intimate conversation about their families and each one's likes and dislikes.  
  
Harry and Cho met each other on innocent dates like this quite frequently thereafter. Sometimes they would picnic by the lake, or study together at the library. One thing was for certain.they saw each other constantly.  
  
Harry had even gotten into an argument with Ron over Cho. Harry dismissed his friend's irrational behavior however and his friend's warning that Cho was on the rebound and that she was just using Harry.  
  
Harry knew better though. The moments that he and Cho spent together were very meaningful. They always talked about their hopes and dreams. Cho would talk about her family and her desire to do something different when she got older though she wasn't sure exactly what yet. Harry often found himself confiding to Cho that he did not at all like his celebrity status.that he would be perfectly happy to retire in the country somewhere living a peaceful quiet life. He did however, voice his one reservation about this dream of his. That he wouldn't be able to play quidditch as there would not be very many people around to play with him. She just laughed at him and would say that he would figure it out someday.  
  
They never spoke about who they would end up with for future life partners. It was a subject that was better left unexplored until one day Harry accidentally blurted something about his parents and that they seemed so right for one another even though he never really knew them.  
  
"Yeah.everyone tells me that my mum was perfect for my dad. She kind of slowed him down and made him start to think about things in life more seriously. I wish I could have known them." Harry said to Cho as they sat by the lake.  
  
Cho innocently responded back by saying, "So.what kind of woman would be most likely make the famous Harry Potter slow down and make him think about things in life more seriously?" Cho wanted to tease Harry about this since they had never talked about this particular aspect of his life before.  
  
Harry just looked up at Cho not knowing what to say. Harry knew perfectly well what kind of woman could do all that to him and maybe even more.he was staring right at her! He nervously fell silent until Cho spoke up again.  
  
"Oh come on Harry, I won't laugh. You can tell me," she chided him once more.  
  
"Are you sure? Are you sure you want to know?"  
  
"Of course! I wouldn't have asked if I didn't."  
  
"Well, she would have to be really nice, sincere, caring, funny, fun to be with." he couldn't go any further as he was too embarrassed.  
  
Cho just responded by saying, ".And?"  
  
"And she would have to like quidditch, and would have to be smart. And she would have to like me for who I am as a person not just because I'm famous."  
  
"Very admirable qualities, Harry. Now for the fun part," She said with a mischievous grin.  
  
This was fun? Harry thought to himself. His hands were sweating bullets and he had rubbed them against his robes to try to dry them off.  
  
"Fun.fun part?" asked a nervous Harry.  
  
"Yes.now you have to tell me what physical qualities this special lady will have," Cho continued to grin.  
  
Physical qualities? Did she want to see him squirm and become a prat right in front of her? He gulped and asked her again if she was sure that she wanted to know. She responded like she had before and sat there with full anticipation on her face. Well, at least one of us is having fun! Harry thought.  
  
Even more nervously Harry continued, "Well she would have to be pretty active if she liked quidditch and therefore should have a pretty trim physique."  
  
Cho pondered this for a moment and thoughtfully responded, "Fair enough.she has to have a good body because she'll be playing a really demanding sport.ok.shoot.what else?"  
  
"Well, I like petite girls."  
  
Again, Cho took a moment to ponder Harry's words and responded warmly, "I can see that.wouldn't want someone who was huge. You would want someone who was smaller than you so that you could be her proctector. Very thoughtful and chivalrous of you Harry."  
  
Harry was amazed that she was taking such an interest in what his perfect woman would be. He bravely continued, "And she would have to have a very sweet and pretty face."  
  
Cho rolled her eyes. "Well, that's a given Harry. You're cute and so you would have to be mutually attracted to the girl! I know that you have an eye for pretty girls. I noticed that you had gone to the Yule ball with Parvati. She is pretty." She apparently forgotten that he had asked her first, Harry thought. "Anything else, Harry?"  
  
She said that I was cute! Harry had gone this far and he felt like this was his only chance in telling Cho what he really thought and that he longed for his perfect woman to be her. "Well, there is one last thing."  
  
"Really? What?" she said with renewed enthusiasm.  
  
"Well, well.my perfect woman would be sitting right next to me at this very moment." Harry said in a whisper. He looked up at her waiting on pins and needles for her response.  
  
Cho responded the only way she knew how, "Oh!" She quickly looked away as she realized that Harry had meant her. She quickly replayed all the comments he had been making and blushed a brilliant shade of red as she realized that all his comments fit her to a 'T!' She kept her gaze cast to the lake. Several moments later, she heard her name.  
  
"Cho? Cho, I'm sorry if I've offended you. But I thought that you should know. Thought that you should know that I like you. I like you a lot."  
  
Cho turned her face shyly around to face Harry and whispered, "I like you too Harry."  
  
Their faces began to move closer to one another as if magnetized by some force. Harry could feel the butterflies flutter around rapidly in his stomach as he had never kissed a girl before and this was the girl of his dreams! Harry saw that Cho was speechless as he moved closer to her but also saw her close her eyes to await his kiss. As soon as Harry closed his eyes and had inched within a hair of her lips, Cho suddenly pulled back.  
  
"Harry, I'm sorry, but I can't. I can't," she looked up at his confused face.  
  
"But...but you just said that you 'liked' me. Why can't you?"  
  
"Harry, I can't explain right now. But, I just want to tell you that it's not you. It's all me." Cho saw that he was getting annoyed and quickly added, "Please Harry, don't be upset. I.I have to go now."  
  
Cho quickly grabbed her sweater and got up from the bench and sprinted back towards Hogwarts. Harry remained at the bench for the next few moments replaying the last few moments. What had gone wrong? They were about to share their very first kiss! What did he do wrong? However, no matter how much he dwelled on the subject he couldn't come up with an answer. He resolved to talk to Cho later on and tell her that he didn't want to scare her and that if she only wanted to remain friends then he would accept that because their friendship meant a lot to him and that he didn't want to damage it.  
  
***********  
  
Harry waited for Cho the following morning out on the quidditch field. It was 8 a.m. in the morning. They had made it a custom now to practice their snitch seeking and flying techniques together. He just didn't know whether he was wasting his time or not. He didn't want to chance it in case Cho did show up though. He knew it would be awkward.trying to talk about what had happened the day before. But he just wanted a chance to salvage their friendship. Besides Ron and Hermione's, Cho's friendship was turning out to be the most important in his life. They had really grown closer to each other during the last few months. Harry knew that he was happy and carefree everytime he was with her and couldn't help feeling that she probably felt the same way.  
  
Suddenly a figure approached him and shook him from his reverie. It was Cho and she had her broomstick with her as always.  
  
Harry quickly gathered himself and stood up straight. He said nervously but obviously relieved that she had shown up, "Hi!"  
  
"Hi," Cho responded back.  
  
Now that he had seen her face to face, he noticed how tired she looked and that her eyes were all puffy.  
  
"I.I was kind of worried that you wouldn't show up. I thought I would take a chance though," he said meekly.  
  
Cho looked around her, obviously nervous as to what she was about to say. "Look Harry, I thought about what.what happened yesterday a lot. I just wanted to come down here and explain a few things. Do you mind if we don't practice today?"  
  
"No, of course not. If you're not up to it.we don't have to. Come on. Let's go over to the benches."  
  
"Ok," Cho said and started walking in the direction of the benches. Harry followed her.  
  
As they both sat down, Harry couldn't help but feel that he was experiencing déjà vu as this was very similar to the talk they had when he had accidentally seen her at the library. He only wondered now however whether the outcome would be quite as favourable.  
  
Harry broke the silence first, "Cho." She looked at him hesitantly. "Cho, I didn't mean to scare you last night. Maybe I shouldn't have said what I did, but I had said so much already that it only seemed logical that I take that extra step and tell you what I really think. I'm sorry if it upset you. I just needed you to know. I can't deny that I'm not happy that things didn't turn out differently. What I wouldn't give for us to take that next step." He saw her look away. His heart sank, but he continued. "But, if at all possible, I don't want what happened yesterday to change anything between us for the worse. I think that we've come too far and have become really good friends and I really like that. Although, I would want to make you more than just a friend, I would hate to lose you over this. I would rather have you as a friend than not have you in my life at all." Harry could see Cho's mouth begin to form a grin. He grinned also. "What do you say, Cho? Will you forgive me? Can you put it past you?"  
  
Cho silently and slowly turned to face Harry. He was right. He did see her grinning.  
  
"Harry, I'm so glad that you feel this way. I don't want to throw away our friendship either. For the first time in my life, I feel like I have someone who really cares for me and about what I think. For the first time in my life, I feel like someone has taken a real interest in me not just because of the way I look or that I'm so popular."  
  
She took a moment and then continued nervously, "Harry, it's not that I don't like you either. God knows that I do. But, we've only just become friends.how can you feel so strongly about me? How do you know that I'm your per.perfect." she could bring herself to say it. "And what about all the other girls that hang around you and obviously worship you? I know that Hermione is with Ron, but what about the others? What about Ginny Weasley and Parvati Patil?"  
  
"Sure they're my friends Cho, but I don't feel anymore than that."  
  
"But, I know that Ginny has a huge crush on you. Everybody knows that."  
  
Harry thought for a moment. What can I do to prove to Cho that she is the one? He finally gave in to the fact that he had to start from the beginning and share with her what he has never shared with anyone before.how he felt when he saw her for the first time.  
  
"I want to tell you something, Cho. Something that I've never shared with anyone before. But, I don't want it to scare you. I just want you to know why it's you and why it's not anyone else but you. Promise me that you won't get scared?" Cho nodded.  
  
"I know that there are some girls who are interested in me. Some may be genuine, but I'm sure a lot of them are just attracted by my scar and what it means.my so-called 'celebrity status.' And I don't deny that Ginny has developed some sort of attachment to me. But, I just see her as a little sister. Maybe it's because Ron's my best friend and he feels like a brother to me and Ginny by default also attains a sibling status in my eyes. I don't know. The core of the matter is though that I never was interested in girls." Cho gave him a look of consternation. "That is until I saw you." Cho blushed as she heard this. "I remember it so clearly.that day. I was so nervous about the game. I was nervous that I was gonna fail our team when I saw the dementors again. But, then when we walked out onto the field and greeted your team.I saw the most beautiful thing that I had ever laid eyes on.you. My insides were already tied into a knot.but then they turned into a different kind of knot when I saw you. And it was a much more pleasant type of knot if you know what I mean. And then you smiled at me. I was so taken aback that I couldn't even smile back. Lucky Oliver snapped me back to reality because I really wanted to beat you guys."  
  
Cho giggled at this and gave him a mock hurt expression.  
  
"So you see, and I know that this sounds corny, but it was like love at first sight. When you smiled, I felt like I was flying over cloud 9 or something. Ever since then I've always had that familiar knotting in my stomach whenever you were within 10 feet of me."  
  
"I don't know what to say Harry. That's the most sweetest and most romantic thing that anyone's ever told me."  
  
"Just promise me that you believe when I say that I know that deep down in my heart that you are the only one for me and promise me that you'll continue to be my friend. I hope that one day you can find a way to open your heart to me, but if you can't, I'll understand. A lot has happened since that day. But, I will wait for you Cho. I will wait as long as it takes until you realize that you feel the same for me. And if that day never comes.at least you will still be in my life.as a friend. I guess I just really want you to be happy."  
  
Cho was crying now. "Oh Harry. I don't deserve this. I never did anything to deserve such love from you."  
  
"You deserve my love Cho.just for being yourself."  
  
Once again, there were moments of awkward silence.  
  
"Harry, I can't promise you all that you want. But I will promise to you that I will remain your friend."  
  
"That's perfect."  
  
Cho smiled through her tears and said, "Do you mind if we head back? I have to get ready for Transfiguration."  
  
Harry stood up and offered Cho his hand. She took it and they walked back together towards the castle. No other words were exchanged between them. It seemed as though things were pretty much back to normal. Although Harry was sad that she didn't want to be more than friends, he was glad that she wanted to remain friends.  
  
"See you later Harry."  
  
"See you later Cho."  
  
And they let go of each other's hand and went their separate ways to their respective dormitories.  
  
***********  
  
Several weeks had passed since Cho and Harry had come to an understanding that they would only be friends. At least till Cho could find a way to come to terms with Cedric's memory and her own fear of being heartbroken. The two still saw each other but mainly just for quidditch practice. They no longer sought each other out for study sessions, lazy afternoons, weekend trips to Hogsmeade.  
  
Although they remained friends, their friendship had definitely taken a different direction. Truth be known, it was more Cho than Harry. She didn't want to string him along than she apparently already had. She reasoned with herself that if that day never came when she could be more than just friends with him than it would be better if they kept some distance from one another.to prevent any other undue heartaches. Despite this, Cho's happiest moments were still when she and Harry would practice together. She couldn't deny him that she thought.  
  
She also noticed that Harry could tell her change in attitude. He never brought it up, but it was apparent to her that he wasn't as happy as he had been before he revealed to her his true feelings about her. He, however, being Harry Potter and a perfect gentlemen, honoured his word and never pushed her to do things that she didn't want to do.  
  
She felt bad for him. She also felt angry at herself. Why did she have to put him through so much? Why couldn't she just let him in to her heart? Would it be so horrible? Yes! She would resolve vehemently. How could she ever tarnish what Cedric and she had? How could she ever betray him and jump into the arms of another so soon after? Probably more worse than her fear of betraying Cedric was her fear for her heart. Simply put, she couldn't bear another heartache. And she knew that if she and Harry were to be together and anything ever happened to him, the heartache that she would feel afterward would be infinitely worse than she had felt when Cedric died. She couldn't deny that Harry was special.  
  
And so, she didn't allow herself to entertain the notion of being anything other than friends with Harry. She would be friendly, yes. She would be civil, yes. She would care, yes. But anything more than that she couldn't.  
  
One day during her Transfiguration class, Dumbledore himself appeared and had asked McGonagall if she could spare Cho for the rest of the lesson. McGonagall conceded and Cho gathered her belongings with her and went with Dumbledore.  
  
"What is it professor?" asked Cho now curious as to what could be so important as to tear her away from class.  
  
"Just come with me my dear. I have something for you."  
  
Cho now even more curious remained by Dumbledore's side until they had reached his office.  
  
"Please sit down." And Dumbledore gestured to a comfortable looking chair near the fireplace.  
  
Cho sat down and was eager as to what Dumbledore had for her. She was drawing a complete blank as to what it could be. Dumbledore then handed her a letter.  
  
"My dear, this is yours. Cedric gave me this letter right before the 3rd task. He was fearful of what might happen to him. So he gave me this other letter," and Dumbledore held up a one page piece of parchment different from the one she was now holding.  
  
Cho immediately noticed Cedric's handwriting on it. "What is it, professor," her voice now trembling.  
  
"This letter contains Cedric's last requests. What he wanted me to tell his parents if something unfortunate should happen. He also cared for you greatly, Cho. He requested that I keep an eye out for you. He wanted me to make sure that you were getting along fine and was moving on with your life."  
  
Cho looked confused. Dumbledore continued solemnly. "My dear, I have been surveying you for the past year. My job was to make sure that you were living in the present and planning for the future and not dwelling in the past. It seemed as though you were doing quite well. I was pleased that my job was easy." He smiled and a twinkle came to his eye. "I was especially pleased that you had become better friends with Harry Potter. It seemed as though you were coping just fine on your own."  
  
"Harry and I are just friends, professor!" she declared defensively and added hastily, "and I'm fine so you don't have to worry about me anymore." Cho said this a little resentfully as it was apparent that Cedric had asked the headmaster to keep an eye on her. Didn't he think that she was strong enough to get past this?  
  
Dumbledore, noticing a bit of harshness in her tone, tried to soothe her, "I know, my dear. Cedric did not think that you needed a chaperone. He was just merely concerned for your well-being as am I. I daresay, that I would have done no differently if Cedric had never written me this last request."  
  
"I'm sorry professor.I didn't mean to get so."  
  
"My dear, it's only natural. I don't blame you. But I do want you to get better."  
  
"I am better, professor," she added defiantly.  
  
"I know you are, Cho. But I believe that you could be happier. That is why I have given you the letter you now hold. Cedric specifically requested that I only hand this letter over to you if I noticed that you were not.not progressing as you should over this tragedy. I, myself, have no idea as to what the letter's contents are. However, I am very sure that whatever they are, they will help you."  
  
After a few moments of silence, Cho asked if she could be dismissed as she was desperate to find out what Cedric had written to her. She was excused and she sped all the way up to her dormitory without stopping to catch her breath.  
  
Once she had gotten to her dormitory, she discarded her robe and her bag. She sat on her bed and looked apprehensively at the letter. She turned it over and her hands shook as she opened the seam. Tears came down as she began the letter.  
  
Dear Cho,  
  
If you are reading this letter, this will mean that I have passed away. I'm sorry that I wasn't strong enough to get through the 3rd task. I'm sorry that I failed you and all of our future plans together. I love you Cho, don't ever forget that.  
  
  
  
But if you're reading this letter, it also means that you have failed. You have failed to progress with your life. You have chosen instead to live in the past. I don't want that for you Cho. We were young - you are young. You have your whole life ahead of you. Don't waste anymore time living in the past. I want you to look to the future, your future. I know that you don't want to hear this right now, but you have to. Please don't worry about me. I am in a better place. All I want is for you to be happy.  
  
  
  
Please don't let your memory of me stop you from finding love elsewhere. You will always have my love, but my love is not enough to sustain you for the rest of your life.  
  
  
  
Lastly, don't let our tragic love prevent your heart from opening up. You should not allow your heart to close. If you do, you will miss out on life. I cannot promise you no more tragedies or heartaches in life, but you can't live your life in fear.  
  
  
  
This is my last request, Cho. Please don't disregard it.  
  
  
  
I will love you forever,  
  
Cedric  
  
  
  
Cho dropped the letter and collapsed onto her bed, hot stinging tears rolling down her face. She couldn't believe that Cedric had thought far enough ahead to plan for something such as this. She cried and cried until she was too tired and fell to sleep.  
  
********  
  
Over the next few days, she would look upon the letter over and over again. The letter had started a healing process. Cedric's words seemed to magically take her despair away with each reading until she came to the realization that Cedric was right. She couldn't dwell in the past forever.she had to live in the present.plan for the future.her future. And she thought of the one person who could help her do all this and maybe even more.  
  
Cho smiled for the first time in a long time. She went over to her dresser to make sure that she looked presentable and not a complete mess. Happy with what she had seen staring back at her, she left her dormitory and searched the school for Harry Potter.  
  
She had found him easily in the library. He was sitting there with his friends, Hermione and Ron. He however was detached from Hermione and Ron's conversation and was just staring at the book open before him.  
  
She sidled up next to him silently and said his name, "Harry?"  
  
Harry looked up and smiled. Cho grinned back. "Hey Cho. What are you doing here?"  
  
"Do you mind? I would like to have a private word with you." She tried not to sound so grave, but she also wanted to surprise him with her news.  
  
Hermione and Ron noticed Cho's presence and shot her a hostile look. She didn't let them dampen her spirits though. Harry gathered his things and nudged Cho towards the library door. "See you later at dinner guys," and waved back at Hermione and Ron.  
  
Once they were outside of the library, Harry asked, "What did you want to talk about?"  
  
Still trying to appear somber, Cho only replied, "Not here. Let's go somewhere else."  
  
They made their way out to the grounds and sat down as they came to a beautiful tree on the school grounds. "What's wrong, Cho? You seem kind of quiet," asked Harry.  
  
Finding herself blushing a little bit, she began, "Harry, do you still feel the same for me?"  
  
Harry thinking that this was a trick question, answered tentatively, "Sure, we're friends. I'll always regard you as a good friend."  
  
Cho's face dropped a little but then realized that this was just Harry being Harry and tried again. "That's not what I mean. I meant do you still care for me like you did when we were at the lake?"  
  
Harry took a moment to fully comprehend her words. He didn't want to misunderstand again. Suddenly it dawned on him that she meant that day by the lake when he had revealed to her that he had always liked her and wanted to be more than friends. He looked up, half uncertain and half hopeful, "Do you mean when I said that I wanted to be more than friends with you?"  
  
Cho blushed even more and turned away she was so excited at the prospect of finally being with Harry. She nodded her head though and smiled shyly.  
  
Harry grasped her hand and exclaimed, "Cho, you know nothing would make me happier."  
  
She slowly turned her face to face him. He was blushing a beautiful shade of red and she smiled at him. After a moment's pause they both rushed toward each other the same time and embraced the other.  
  
"Harry. I've waited so long to do this. I was such a fool!" Cho whispered with relief.  
  
"Cho, you have no idea how many times I've dreamt of this very moment." They stayed in their embrace for a few minutes enjoying the warmth and closeness of each other. Harry then pulled her away from him so that he could see her face. "But what happened? What made you change your mind?"  
  
Cho then turned to gaze at the lake again. "Harry, I have a confession to make of my own." Harry just gazed at her in disbelief that this was really happening to him. "I think I've loved you since that very first time on the quidditch field. It just took me longer to realize it."  
  
Harry's eyes widened not believing his ears. She had loved him at the same moment that he had loved her!  
  
"You know that day when you asked me to go to the Yule Ball with you?" Harry nodded remembering the hurt and humiliation he had felt after he found out that Cho was going with Cedric. "Well, I never told anybody, but I really wanted to go with you. I waited as long as I could for you to ask me, but you didn't until it was too late. Then I had to turn you down and I felt so sad.for the both of us."  
  
"Much to my surprise, I actually found myself enjoying Cedric's company immensely. I didn't think that you and I had a chance so I allowed myself to be pursued by Cedric. I didn't mean for it to happen, but it did. We began to get very close." Cho looked away. She didn't know how Harry would take the news.  
  
Harry stroked her back and said soothingly, "Cho, I understand. I don't blame you for being with Cedric."  
  
Cho looked back and smiled. "When he died, I didn't think that I could get over it. It was all so sudden. It was a really difficult summer for me. I however looked forward to getting back to Hogwarts. I know it sounds crazy.all the memories and the stares from the other kids. But somehow I knew that being back at Hogwarts would help me get better. I even thought of you, Harry. I was wondering how you were doing. I figured it must have been an incredible ordeal and that you had issues that you needed to sort out yourself. A little foolish and a little hopeful, I thought that we could become better friends.to help each other get past the tragedy. We eventually did and I was so glad that we had become such good friends. Then you told me how you really felt and I just got scared."  
  
"What did you have to be scared about?" Harry asked with concern.  
  
"So many things, Harry! I was scared that I would forget Cedric. I was scared that I would betray his memory and what we had. But most of all I was scared about losing you like I had lost Cedric."  
  
"I'm here, Cho. I'll never leave you."  
  
"I know Harry, but what if something were to happen to you? I had become so attached to you. I knew that if I allowed myself to take that next step that I would be hopelessly in love with you and that anything I ever felt for Cedric would be a thousand times stronger with you. I firmly believed that my heart could not take the grief if anything happened to you and so I didn't allow my heart to be put in that position in the first place. I know it was a cowardly thing to do, but I was so confused." Cho was now crying. "Then a few weeks ago, Dumbledore gave a letter that Cedric had written to me before the third task. He wanted Dumbledore to give it to me if it seemed as though I couldn't move on with my life that somehow I was still dwelling in the past."  
  
"Cedric wrote you a letter?" asked Harry tenderly. "What did he say?"  
  
"He said that I should move on with my life and that there was so much to live for. He told me never be afraid to open my heart or I would miss out on so much. These were his last requests. At first, I just cried and cried and refused to listen to his words. But something miraculous happened. Each time I read his letter, my despair faded just a little bit. I had read it so many times that I finally realized that he was right. I can't live in fear my entire life. That's when I resolved to find the one person who could help me. That person is you Harry. I want to live in the present and I want to plan for the future - our future," whispered Cho. Harry's eyes widened as she mentioned our future.  
  
"Cho, I don't know what to say."  
  
"Don't say anything Harry. Just hold me."  
  
Harry embraced Cho once again and the stayed that way for a few moments. Then both Harry and Cho looked deep into each other's eyes. Each could see the love, desire and longing that the other felt. Cho closed her eyes slowly and began to move her lips closer to Harry. Harry, ever more nervous, closed his eyes and felt her lips on his. It was the softest thing that he had ever felt. He never wanted this moment to end. Their kiss grew more fervent and it only broke when Cho pulled back. She was smiling and her eyes twinkled.  
  
"Thanks, Harry," she breathed.  
  
Harry sat there with the most dazed look. That kiss was better than anything he could have ever possibly imagined. He looked at her again and smiled. He pulled her closer to him so that her body was flush with his and pulled her into another kiss. One that was even more satisfying than the last.  
  
They stayed like this a while enjoying the other. They would stop every now and then and talk, but they mostly kissed for the rest of the evening.happy to find each other at last.  
  
The End 


End file.
